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Month: September 2015

NASA scientists announced Monday they believe they have strong evidence there is liquid water – as opposed to ice – on Mars. This is the first hard evidence there might actually be life on the red planet, though the life would probably be microbial.

“It suggests that it would be possible for there to be life today on Mars,” NASA’s science mission chief, John Grunsfeld, said at a news conference, as reported in an Associated Press article.

In 2008 NASA scientists determined there was ice on the planet, which is very cold. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has produced photos that appear to show what the scientists believe are streams going down mountainsides. It may be little more than wet ground, and there is no evidence of standing water, but it is still the first time scientists have said water exists there in liquid form. The streams appear to be about 12 feet wide and 300 feet long, and seem to be seasonal.

The water is believed to be heavy in salt and other chemicals, which could explain how water could exist where the average temperature is minus 85 Fahrenheit. Minus 10 in summer is as warm as it gets, scientists believe. The heavy salt content could help melt the ice.

NASA scientists are hoping to send a person to Mars in the 2030’s, and if water exists there, it could help in that mission. Water could be used by an astronaut for drinking and for creating oxygen.

The way to determine if there is any kind of life there is to collect rocks and soil. Now that orbiters and space ships have made plenty of trips there and sent back photographs, collecting rocks is the next logical step. They are hoping to do this around 2020, by sending a craft that can land, collect materials, and take off again.

Scientists are still not sure it is water, though it appears to be. The water could be melting ice, or water from underground. The evidence they have is dark streaks that go own a mountainside.

In a New York Times article, scientists said Mars once had water – such as lakes, rivers and an ocean – but that was a few billion years ago. What happened to those bodies of water remains a mystery.

The photographs do show residue of hydrated salts, which can only be made by flowing water, scientists said, adding that these traces do not appear to be old at all.

We all know that McDonald’s workers don’t make a great deal of money. Most of these employees are minimum wage workers who probably work harder than many who make much more than they do. One story out of Chicago shows that it doesn’t really matter what kind of job you have, just as long as you do it to the best of your abilities.

It was Destiny Carreno that reported the story on Facebook and has caused the world to take notice. She was in the downtown McDonald’s location in Chicago when she noticed an elderly gentleman in a wheelchair approach the countertop area. The little man went to the counter not to order food, but he wanted to know if someone could help him because he was having problems with eating his food. The man clearly suffered from some disabilities, but asking for help probably was the hardest thing for him.

Carreno said that she didn’t think the cashier was going to help the man. There was a line out the door, and the restaurant was very busy. However, what the cashier did next was so moving and touching Carreno stood there with tears in her eyes. Not only did the cashier leave his position, but he went and sat with the man. He helped him cut his food and he fed it to him too. It was rush hour and the place was hopping, yet this worker took the time out of his schedule to help someone in need.

The pictures of this event have gone viral and though this person may just be a McDonald’s worker, he is one of the best. Taking time out of our busy lives to care about someone else is a great way to show that there are still good people in this world. This little elderly man was obviously having significant trouble eating his food. What this worker did for him was priceless. Imagine his manager when he told him that he was shutting down his register. Remember, it was the busiest time of the day, and his absence left a big void in the cashier’s ability to service the customers. However, he changed the life of a man that day by giving him help. Hats off to this cashier and his amazing heart, he has forever made an impact on a man who needed help.

Marvel Comics, who’ve created some of the most iconic fictional characters like the X-men, the Amazing Spiderman and the Incredible Hulk, just to name a few, has come under critical fire lately due to it’s progressive approach when reinventing some of it’s classic characters. They have been doing this in recent times with characters like: Thor, Captain America, Spiderman and in the latest Fantastic Four movie, the Human Torch.

Most recently joining the roster undergoing an identity transformation, is it’s character Moon-Boy. Moon-Boy, a primitive, young caveman-humanoid species, covered almost completely in blue-like fur (all except the palms of his hands, soles of his feet and face) has Tarzan-like strength and the ability to forage and thrive in the wild, as he was part of a tribe of early humans in an alternate Earth reality. This alternate Earth universe, apparently being the one in which all of Marvel’s characters reside, as he and Devil Dinosaur (his companion) seem to have many run-ins with a plethora of Marvel’s roster. He also has the ability to communicate with his partner in crime, a Tyrannosaurus Rex whom he saved from a rival tribe who killed it’s mother and siblings. They tried torching the creature but managed only to permanently scorch his skin, making it permanently bright red. Moon-boy aptly named him, Devil.

Fast-forward to Marvel’s most recent interpretation of Moon-boy and we have: Moon-girl; an African-American, pre-teen female who’s powers are said to be, unlike any other superhero. Marvel not only wanted to bring new life to these two figures, but also wanted to breathe a whole new air of freshness into the legacy, thus bringing it to modern day New York City; world’s away from pre-historic, alternate Earth of 616 A.D. This drastic change will not only give writers exciting new ways to expand on Devil’s stories, but it represents a whole new generation; in this case, a generation of young black girls. It gives them a superhero they can see themselves in; someone they can be inspired by and look up to, letting them know that ANYONE can be ANYTHING.

Marvel Comics must be applauded in their efforts to incorporate a more diverse cast of nationalities into the realm of fantasy. They want to include those previously unrepresented, which I find admirable. Today’s world is only becoming more accepting, inclusive and diversified. Why not our superheroes?

It is not everyday that we see a group of people scrambling towards a shark.
Yes. A shark. A 14 foot great white to be exact. This was not just a handful of
folks either. There were roughly 100 people gathered and willing to lend a hand.
(Not get one bitten.)

It is heart warming to see so many people together to help a creature that
could surely rip them apart given the right circumstances. This is just another
way that humanity shows it’s empathy for all living things.

In India a young woman by the name of Mansi Prakash has taken it upon herself to
use her own money to buy energy efficient light bulbs for homes in her area.
This may not sound big to a lot of people but in a place where your energy bill
dictates who eats, it is a huge deal.

She explains that these people have lights. It simply costs too much to use regular
bulbs. So she got the idea to buy energy efficient bulbs and give them to families
that have none. Effectively reducing the family’s bill by up to 80%.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency has recently had their
approval over tuned of Sulfoxaflor a pesticide that has been linked to
the mass deaths of millions of honeybees the world over.
The decrease in bees has affected at least 1/3 of the world’s food supply.
This is a serious issue that thankfully is being dealt with.

Most people have probably been at least somewhat aware of this for a while now.
The fact of the matter is that without honeybees pollinating the plant life we
depend on well, we die as a result also.

The realization of this has brought about a great victory for the side of the bees.
The EPA’s guidelines for registering unconditionally were based upon inaccurate and
and misleading information. Now the product in all of it’s forms must be removed
from retail shelves by October 18th.

This will in turn surely lead to more investigating on the quality of the products
that are being used. In this case it will likely spur them to make sure the “facts”
that they produce are based on substantially gathered evidence.
We all win in this particular case.